Breaking News: Several reports this afternoon state that a World Cup-winning free agent has declined to sign with Sunderland  in favor of Wrexham, while his medical is still being conducted today.

Sunderland will benefit financially from any future transfer of Jack Clarke, The Echo has learned.

The Black Cats accepted a deal of around £15 million up front from Ipswich Town in the final stages of the summer transfer window, with around £3 million in further add-ons likely to be realised over the next year or so. There is understood to be the potential for an additional £2 million to be realised in final add-ons, though they are less likely to be triggered. As part of the bargain six-figure deal that brought him to the club from Spurs on a permanent basis on the first place, a significant chunk of that fee was due to the Premier League club.

The Echo has learned from sources with knowledge of the deal that Sunderland have done the same with this deal, and that there is a sell-on clause attached to the transfer believed to be 15%. Sunderland’s hierarchy were determined to protect themselves should Clarke thrive at Portman Road and move on again in future, in which case they would now earn a significant sum. As such, it’s a realistic possibility that the overall deal could in time be worth around £20 million to the Black Cats, though that of course depends on how Clarke ultimately fares in the top tier.

Clarke signed a five-year deal with Ipswich, saying that he was impressed with their summer recruitment and the style of play under Kieran McKenna. He made his top-tier debut as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 draw with Fulham last weekend.

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Sunderland agreed Jack Clarke sell-on clause with Ipswich Town

SUNDERLAND will benefit from any future sale of Jack Clarke as part of the deal that saw the winger join Ipswich Town in the final month of the transfer window.

The Black Cats agreed to sell Clarke to the Portman Road club for an initial fee of £15m, with around £5m of future add-ons also having been agreed.

However, as well as inserting performance-related clauses into the deal, Sunderland also successfully pressed for the inclusion of a sell-on clause that will kick in if Clarke leaves Ipswich in the future.

It is understood the sell-on agreement has been set at around 15 per cent, which could entitle Sunderland to a hefty windfall if Clarke develops successfully with Ipswich and moves on again in the future.